Hiking and camping disasters and how to avoid them

Whenever you’re looking to enjoy an adventure out in the wilderness, it’s especially important that you do whatever you can to ensure the adventure proceeds as smoothly as it can.

There are a number of different issues you can run into on a camping trip, thankfully there are some simple tips to make sure you can get by, keep your adventure on track and still enjoy yourself.

Equipment failures

Whatever it might be, any of your equipment failing while you’re out on an excursion can, at best, be a minor inconvenience. At worst, it could majorly jeopardise your safety during a hike or camp.

Say your multitool snaps while you’re in the middle of a three-day hike. How much more difficulty might that add to your expedition? What if your flashlight dies late at night when putting up a tent, meaning it’s much more difficult to safely set up camp?

The best way you can avoid this is by ensuring every piece of equipment you buy comes from a brand with a long-established and well-deserved reputation for high quality. Consider reading product reviews from fellow outdoor enthusiasts. This will better ensure that you’re using sturdy equipment that is less likely to let you down.

For small things like flashlights, you might consider bringing a spare, so long as it won’t add significant weight or take up too much space.

Rips and tears

When camping, damage to your tent can severely impact how safe and enjoyable any amount of time in the wilderness will be. If you haven’t come prepared, you might find yourself waking up in a waterlogged tent, potentially also compromising your dry clothes and food stores.

As with equipment, it’s always important to buy from respected retailers with a reputation for sturdy products. You should also consider an inspection of your gear before setting off – especially anything that will protect you from the elements like your tent.

Making sure to pack equipment for repairing your tent, such as specialised tape, will ensure that any unexpected damage can be easily fixed, letting you stay dry and comfortable until you get home.

Slips and trips

From a slight muddy inconvenience, to an expedition-ending injury, slips and trips are a significant risk to any hiker or camper out in the wilderness. This risk is made worse if you’re hiking a trail that’s further out from civilisation, or is otherwise difficult for rescue efforts to reach.

To better avoid the risk of injuring yourself while on the move, there’s a few things you could do.

Firstly, plan your camping trip or hiking trip around the weather. Where possible, make sure conditions are reasonable. This will better ensure that rainy weather won’t make surfaces slick and create muddy terrain that are much harder to traverse.

Secondly, make sure to wear hiking boots that provide great ankle support and provide a firm grip on any terrain. This will better ensure you can move at a steady, safe and consistent pace during your trip, without added injury risk.

Food issues

Ensuring that you have enough food for the length of your trip is important. However, it’s equally important to make sure that your food is stored in a way that keeps it safe from spoiling, whether that be due to poor storage, leakage, or pests and insect infestation.

One way you can easily avoid this situation is by making sure that all containers are securely sealed, and that your food is as fresh as possible.

Food stores while out in the wilderness can often be quite a draw to bugs, insects and other wildlife. They can spoil food stores quite easily, and generally cause disruption during a trip. One particularly helpful thing you could do is to bring along bug repellent spray or pellets that you can spread around a campsite.

Try to keep rubbish and food waste separate and contained, rather than left out while on the campsite. If driving to a campsite, one great way to keep your food safe is to bring along a secure and sealable cooler, which limits the risk of food spoiling, and prevents any animals contaminating your stores.

Tightly sealed tins and freeze-dried meals area fantastic option as they are tightly contained and don’t require refrigeration, meaning you can transport meals and take up less space.

Wrongs turns & getting lost

This is a particularly notable risk if you happen to be travelling in low-light or poor conditions, you’re hiking a trail for the first time, or you’re heading to a campsite that’s off the beaten track.

Because there are several factors that can cause you to lose your way, there are also several things you can do to reduce this risk.

For example, wherever possible, stick to trails or campsites that many people use throughout the year. In a worst-case scenario, it’s likely than others around you will be better able to help.

If you do decide on unfamiliar routes and campsites, you might consider travelling with someone who has experience with a particular route. Someone with some familiarity of the area could be really useful when it comes to travelling safely.

It might also be useful to keep any sort of visual landmark in the terrain around you in your vision as much as possible. This will give you a sort of marker that you can travel towards if you lose your traveling companions.

Don’t rule out the importance of a satellite phone either. With it, you can contact your traveling companions or call for emergency rescue if injured. Keeping things such as this in mind both before and during an expedition can better ensure everyone stays safe and together for the duration.

How Summit To Eat can help a camping trip or hike go smoothly

When there are a range of things to consider when staying safe during a hike or camping trip, it can be really helpful to know that some elements of that can be handled easily.

Knowing you’ve got suitable food ready for your trip frees up time and energy to focus on other vital considerations, which helps a trip proceed as smoothly as possible.

Summit To Eat can help you. We provide a wide range of delicious freeze-dried meals and ingredients that are perfect for any environment.

Our products are:

Nutritious – Our meals are filled with all the necessary carbs and protein you need to keep you going through the day

Easy to prepare – Just add water, and your meal will be ready in minutes

Freeze-dried to create a lightweight and easily prepared meal

Expertly cooked – Because our meals are cooked before freeze-drying, freshness is locked in

With a huge selection of meals, ingredients and flavours to choose from, we’re sure to have something on offer that’s perfect for you, no matter where you’re headed.

If you’d like to find out more about our range of freeze-dried foods, take a look at our meals page or contact us to speak to a member of our team.